What engineers do

A system of laws and regulations serves to regulate the engineering profession in Quebec in view of protecting the public. One provision of the Engineers Act sets out exclusive acts and reserved fields of practice for engineers.

Section 3 of this Act provides that engineers are exclusively entitled to perform the following acts:

The giving of consultations and opinions (analyzing and interpreting data, producing hypotheses and arriving at informed opinions that are is expressed in a manner comprehensible to the client).
• The making of measurements, of layouts, the preparation of reports, computations, designs, drawings, plans, specifications.
• The inspection or supervision of the works in view of monitoring or checking them.

All of these acts may be carried out in specific fields, as defined in section 2 of the Act. They are:

• Railways, public roads, airports, bridges, viaducts, tunnels and the installations connected with a transport system the cost of which exceeds $3,000.
• Dams, canals, harbours, lighthouses and all works relating to the improvement, control or utilization of waters.
• Works of an electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, aeronautical, electronic, thermic, nuclear, metallurgical, geological or mining character and those intended for the utilization of the processes of applied chemistry or physics.
• Waterworks, sewer, filtration, purification works to dispose of refuse and other works in the field of municipal engineering the cost of which exceeds $1,000.
• The foundations, framework and electrical and mechanical systems of buildings the cost of which exceeds $100,000 and of public buildings within the meaning of the Public Buildings Safety Act (chapter S-3).
• Structures accessory to engineering works and intended to house them.
• Temporary framework and other temporary works used during the carrying out of works of civil engineering.
• Soil engineering necessary to elaborate engineering works.
• Industrial work or equipment involving public or employee safety.